Spinosaurus
Intro Spinosaurus 'was the biggest predator to even to walk on land that has been discovered. It was a gargantuan dinosaur from Cretaceous Africa. In fact, ''Spinosaurus is the first species of dinosaur discovered in Africa. Apart from its size, Spinosaurus was destinguishable by its long snout shaped like a crocodile or alligator and the sail running down its spine. This dinosaur likely used its long snout and big claws to catch large fish like its relatives Suchomimus, Baryonyx and Irritator did. Spinosaurus' sail is the source of a lot of debate. Some scientists say it might have been more of a hump than a sail, and the scientists that do believe it was a sail can't agree on wether it was used to regulate body tempurature, attract mates, scare off rivals, or a mixture of the three. Although only partial skeletons have been found, Spinosaurus ''had a very long, crocodilian skull, it is nearly 6 feet long. Spinosaurus was much bigger than the South American carnivore Giganotosaurus as the largest Theropod dinosaur. Also, scientists say it's cause of death was of the climate changing so the swamps that ''Spinosaurus lived in disappeared making the Spinosaurus die. Fact File '''Length: 38-52 feet long(11.5-16 m,the length of this animal has been debated for many years) Height:16-19.5 ft tall at the head and 23-26 ft at the sail( 5-6)at the head,7-8(at the sail) metres Weight:7-9 tons Diet: Carnivorous ( Meat & Fish) Time and Period: Middle Cretaceous 115-95 Million Years Ago Prey Spinosaurus hunting style is much debated, Some Paleontologists argue that Spinosaurus would have been adept at eating other medium size dinosaurs, using its size and speed it was easily capable of killing anything it got hold of, using its 8 foot head or its 7 foot arms. Others argue it was not capable of preying on other large dinosaurs and that it instead preyed mainly on fish and other dinosaurs. The idea of the Spinosaurus being a piscivore (an animal whose diet consists mainly of fish) is highly supported. The main evidence for this being its long narrow snout, which would be an advantage for catching aquatic beings. Other evidence is that of Spinosaurus' large spine. This spine would help with its hydrodynamics, making it agile in the water. It's arms are also long enough to be useful. They could provide more directional control in the water as well as to help hold on to its catch. Popular Culture Spinosaurus ''is the primary villain/dinosaur in the movie ''Jurassic Park III. ''In the movie ''Spinosaurus was shown at 43 feet long while some estimates suggest it grew much larger than this. It was also portrayed eating people and large dinosaurs. It has been speculated Spinosaurus would have eaten ornithischians, sauropods, and hadrosaurs. Although it was an adept swimmer in the movie, it was shown killing a T-Rex .However, the T-Rex should have won because it bit the Spinosaurus on the neck in the beginning of the fight, however, the muscle and bones of the Spinosaurus could have just been too big for the Tyrannosaurus to kill instantly. Also, Spinosaurus's mouth was used for grabbing not tearing flesh. Unlike, a T-Rex which uses it's mouth for ripping flesh and breaking bone. Even though it's jaws could crush bones, the chances of a victor between T-Rex and Spinosaurus may vary Spinosaurus also appeared in the popular British television show, Primeval, when it chases Connor and Abby into the present day through an Anomaly, and BBC One's series, Planet Dinosaur episode 1: Lost World. Spinosaurus has appeared in any Jurassic Park games based on JP III See Also Spinosaurus Gallery Featured Article of January 2010 in January 2010. As a featured article, 00000000000000000000000000.jpg The Lost Files pinosaurus .jpg this page has a video!thumb|360px|right Category:Main Dinosaurs Category:Dinosaurs Category:Carnivores Category:Theropods Category:Cretaceous Category:Dinosaurs of Africa Category:Spinosaurids Category:Piscivores